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ZGMF-X42R Destiny Gundam
The Destiny Gundam is an experimental high-performance assault mobile suit created as a successor to the ZGMF-X56S Impulse Gundam. Designed to operate in all combat theaters without the need to exchange its equipment and incorporating several revolutionary new technologies, it is the single most advanced mobile suit in existence at the time of its rollout. It is piloted by Shinn Asuka Technology & Combat Characteristics Whereas the Impulse was designed to be able to equip interchangeable armament packs to fit different combat scenarios, the Destiny was designed as a singular unit whose armament enable it to simultaneously fulfill all combat roles, essentially functioning as a combined form of all the Impulse's various Silhouette Packs - though it most closely resembles the Storm Silhouette. In order to minimize maintenance costs and maximize efficiency, the Impulse's complex Core Block System was entirely omitted, though the Destiny incorporates a variant of the escape mechanism intended to ensure the pilot's survival in the event of catastrophic damage to the mobile suit. The Destiny's construction differs substantially from that of any previous mobile suit. Its internal frame is composed of smaller, more mobile components that incorporate a sliding mechanism, to which dividing armor panels are mated, resulting in a machine with far greater flexibility and range of motion than any other mobile suit. Because this creates a potential vulnerability in that it exposes the internal frame, it was important to design the armor panels in such a way as to maximize speed and maneuverability without sacrificing defense. This was done through careful analysis of combat data from the Impulse and its pilot, which allowed ZAFT's designers to map out the achievable ranges of motion of the frame and determine the most efficient way to separate the armor parts. Additionally, Variable Phase Shift was applied to the internal frame in order to increase the stiffness of the joints. This also enables the frame to better withstand the high G-forces resulting from its movement at high speed, and when activated causes the frame to glow silver. The Destiny Gundam's offensive systems include a number of fixed weapons on its main body, such as a pair of 17.5mm CIWS mounted in its head and a 31mm "Palma Fiocina" beam gun in the palm of each hand. It is also armed with a pair of beam boomerangs, stored in its shoulders, which double as beam sabers, as well as a 60mm high-energy beam rifle. Its main weapons are two powerful 180mm "Megálos Kerberos" High-energy long-range plasma beam cannons mounted to its backpack and a pair of "Moralltach" high-output anti-ship beam sabers - derived from the primary weapons of the Blast and Sword Silhouettes, respectively. For defense, it is equipped Variable Phase-Shift Armor, and on its left forearm mounts an Assault Shield derived from the Composite Shield of the GuAIZ. In addition to a beam blade, this solid shield mounts a "Grapple Stinger" extensional arrestor that can be fired on a line and a powerful "Validus Fulgor" beam shield generator, which is capable of blocking even capital-class weapons such as the triple "Super Scylla" or "Aupfrall Dreizehn" cannons of the GFAS-X1 Destroy. This is supplemented by a pair of smaller "Solidus Fulgor" generators mounted to the back of each hand. The Destiny Gundam is also the first mobile suit to ever be equipped with a Hyper-Deuterion Nuclear Reactor, an experimental new powerplant that grants it a theoretically infinite power supply. This revolutionary technology combines advances in nuclear power generation technology with a refined form of the deuterion beam technology pioneered with the Impulse and the Saviour. Because this entire system is internalized, it eliminates the need to obtain energy recharges from the Minerva. In addition to a wide array of conventional thrusters, the Destiny Gundam is equipped with an improved version of the wings of the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam, which are mounted to its backpack, and are designed as an upgrade of the Freedom's remarkably effective HiMAT(Hi'gh-'''M'obility 'A'erial 'T'actics) System. These wings incorporate a revolutionary propulsion system known as "Voilure Lumière" ("Sail of Light"), colloquially referred to as "Wings of Light". This system gives the Destiny far higher acceleration than any conventional thruster system as well as creates after-images that make the Destiny more difficult for enemy sensors to track. This system gives the Destiny greater speed and mobility than any other mobile suit, and combined with its high defensive capabilities and heavy armament, make it the most powerful mobile suit in existence at the time of its first deployment, much as the Freedom was in its day during the Bloody Valentine War. Armaments ;*MMI-GAU26 17.5mm CIWS x2 : A pair of rapid-fire, shell-firing guns mounted in the Destiny's head, primarily for use against missiles and light aircraft ;*MA-BAR73/S 60mm high-energy beam rifle : The Destiny's main handheld weapon, an improved version of the Impulse's beam rifle ;*MMI-X340 31mm "Palma Fiocina" beam gun x2 : A light, medium-range beam gun mounted in the palm of each of the Destiny's hands. Often used mainly in close combat, as its range is limited. ;*RQM-55F "Shining Edge" Beam Boomerang x2 : A pair of beam boomerangs mounted in each of the Destiny's shoulders, similarly to those of the ZGMF-X09A Justice Gundam. These are upgraded forms of the Sword Impulse's RQM-50 "Flash-Edge" beam boomerangs. Unlike previous models, the Destiny's beam boomerangs also double as beam sabers. ;*M2200GX 180mm "Megálos Kerberos" High-energy Long-range Plasma Beam Cannon x2 : A much improved version of the M2000F "Kerberos" beam cannons of the Impulse. By far the most powerful ranged weapon in the Destiny's arsenal, they are more compact and more powerful than their predecessor, and are more than capable of punching through even the thickest armor. ;*MMI-714D "Moralltach" High-output Anti-Ship Beam Saber x2 : Developed from the Excalibur and Caliburn swords used by the Impulse, these are the Destiny's most potent close-range weapon; designed primarily as anti-ship weapons, the length of the blades exceeds even that of the Excaliburs; however, because they lack a physical blade, the weapons are lighter and move faster, making them equally effective against mobile suits, giving the Destiny a significantly longer reach than any other close-combat mobile suits. These weapons are designed exclusively for the Destiny, and no other mobile suit has the dexterity to be able to use them. Like the Excaliburs, the Moralltach can be combined into a single, dual-bladed weapon ;*MMI-RGX47 Assault Shield : The Destiny's primary defensive equipment, a conceptual derivative of the Composite Shield used by the GuAIZ and GuAIZ-R, it combines a shield with additional close-range armament: *'''MX2351 "Validus Fulgor" beam shield generator :::A more powerful beam shield generator similar to the MX2200 "Solidus Fulgor" mounted to the Destiny's main body, capable of resisting a barrage from even capital-class beam weapons. :*'EEQ8S "Grapple Stinger" extensional arrestor' :::An anchor mounted to the shield, which can be fired on a line and retracted. Unlike those of the GuAIZ, it lacks a beam edge, however it is nonetheless capable of cutting through the armor of most mobile suits, and it is anti-beam-coated, giving it some resistance to beam weapons. :*'MA-M02G "Super Lacerta" beam blade' :::A heavy beam blade for use against mobile suits, it has a slightly longer reach than conventional beam sabers System Features ;*Variable Phase Shift Armor : A refined and more energy-efficient version of Phase-Shift Armor, which is also able to automatically adjust its settings for optimum power efficiency. When the Impulse docks with or changes its Silhouette Pack, its computer system automatically adjusts the VPS to the most optimal configuration instantly, resulting in its color changing. Unlike previous mobile suits, the Destiny's VPS is extended to its internal frame as well as its external armor. ;*"Voilure Lumière" High-output Lightwave-pulse Thruster Array : Colloquially nicknamed "Wings of Light"; an experimental propulsion system designed as an enhanced version of the HiMAT system developed for the Freedom Gundam. It consists of an array of high-output lightwave-pulse thrusters combined with nano-particle technology related to Mirage Colloid. The wings' primary purpose is to act as a propulsion system, granting the Destiny far higher acceleration than any conventional thruster system. Additionally, the system when activated creates a trail of after-images that confuse sensors, making it more difficult for enemy weapons to lock onto and track the Destiny Gundam. ;*MX2200 "Solidus Fulgor" Beam Shield Generator x2 : A small generator on the back of each of the Destiny's hands creates a powerful, diamond-shaped beam shield capable of deflecting most attacks. ;*Ultracompact Hyper-Deuterion Nuclear Reactor : A revolutionary type of nuclear powerplant developed using refined version of the Deuterion beam technology pioneered with the Second Stage Gundams, combined with advances in nuclear power generation. ;*YMF-X42C Mobile Escape System :The Destiny eschews the complex multi-module Core Block System of its predecessor, and as such does not use the Core Splendor. Instead, its cockpit block is contained within an escape system similar to the MF-101C mobile escape pod used by the Saviour and other New Millennium series mobile suits. History The history of what would become the Destiny Gundam begins in the waning months of the Bloody Valentine War. With the completion of the Freedom Gundam and its sister unit, the Justice Gundam, the National Defense Committee, under the auspices of Patrick Zala, commissioned the creation of an enhanced, mass-production version of both machines, under the development code name "XA2". Their purpose was to take the place of the GuAIZ and, along with the superweapon GENESIS firmly establish the PLANTs as the dominant military superpower in the Earth Sphere. However, with the death of Patrick Zala and the signing, at the end of the Bloody Valentine War, of the Treaty of Junius Seven - which outlawed the military use of Neutron-Jammer Cancellers - the project was shelved and the incomplete design data was sealed. Subsequently, the New Millennium Project begins development, yielding a number of promising production-model designs as well as a couple of wildly successful prototypes, such as the ZGMF-X56S Impulse Gundam. In late CE 75, ZAFT commissions the creation of a successor to the Impulse's Silhouette Packs, combining their capabilities into a single, multirole weapons system capable of simultaneously functioning in any combat theater and scenario - expanding the all-range anti-mobile suit capabilities of the Storm Silhouette to enable it to fill the heavy artillery and anti-ship roles filled by the Blast and Sword Silhouettes. Initial attempts to create a Silhouette Pack capable of doing this prove to be a complete failure. Instead, the decision is made to create a wholly new mobile suit - using the early design data from the discarded "XA2" designs, combined with careful analysis of the accumulated combat data from the Impulse as well as several revolutionary technological advances in mobile suit construction, propulsion, and an experimental new type of nuclear reactor designed using refinements of the New Millennium series's Deuterion Beam technology. The result is christened the ZGMF-X42S Destiny Gundam. Upon its completion, the Destiny Gundam is taken to Earth, where it is delivered to the ''Minerva ''and assigned to ace pilot Shinn Asuka, who would first take it out into battle during Operation Ragnarok, a joint ZAFT/Eurasian Federation attack on the Atlantic Federation military HQ and Logos stronghold "Heaven's Base", in Iceland. Shinn would subsequently pilot the Destiny Gundam in Operation Fury, the ZAFT attack on Orb, which in spite of Shinn's skill and the Destiny's speed and power, would end in failure as Jibril, the sole remaining member of Logos and leader of Blue Cosmos, escapes into space. After this, the ''Minerva ''would return to outer space, where it, along with Shinn and the Destiny Gundam, would distinguish themselves in the final battles of the war. Trivia *Destiny's head crest displays the text "X-42S DUE", which means "Second" in Italian and is a reference to Destiny's series number. *The Destiny's role is similar to that of the Zeta Gundam in the series of the same name; it is the protagonist's second mobile suit, with the character's first mobile suit given to a female character in his squad. *The Destiny's faceplate has a distinctive pair of red, curved marks, directly underneath each eye. Identical markings were previously seen on the faceplate of the OZ-00MS2 Tallgeese II. *Some people nickname the Destiny's palm cannon "Destiny Finger", a reference to God Gundam's God Finger due to the similar way in which the weapon is used. * The "Wings of Light" appear to be inspired by the identically-named system on the LM314V21 Victory 2 Gundam and the visually similar afterimage ability of the F91 Gundam F91. * The "Moralltach", meaning "Great Fury" is one of two swords wielded by tragic hero Diarmuid Ua Duibhne of the Fenian Cycle; its pair was "Beagalltach", meaning "Little Fury".